Feeding mechanism for sewing-machines.



L, E. TOPHAIVI. FEEDING IYIECHANISIVI FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I0, 1915.

Patented Feb.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

jwerdar.-

L. E. TOFHAIVI. FEEDING IVIECHNISIVI EUR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I0, 1915. 'v

Patented Feb. 1, 19I6.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m'yoza L. E. TOPHAM.

FEEDING MECHANISNI FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED mAY1o,1915.

1,170,023. Patented F91@` 1, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

L. E. TOPHAM. FEI-:DING IVIECHANISIVI FOR SEWING MACHINES.V

APPLICATION FILED MAY l0, 1915. I

' Patented Feb. l, 1916. Y

SHEETS-SHEET 4.

L. E. TOPHAM.

FEEDINGMECHAMSM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1915. 11,ZU7' O`,023. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- Wf'w Inveiz?? @Q M y 5M? 'UNITED STATES PATENT CEETCE.

LAURENCE E TorHAM, or 'sWAMPsCo'rn MASSACHUSETTS, A SsIGNoR To UNITED SHoE MACHINERY COMPANY, or PATEESON, NEW JERSEY, AA .coEPoRnTIoN 0E NEW JERSEY.

g FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 191e.

Original application filed April 15, 191.1, Serial 110.621,28.. Divided and this application med-*May 10,`

To all whom it may conc m.'

Be it known that I, LAURENCE E. TOPHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of vEsser: and State of Massachusetts7 have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Feed ing Mechanism for Sewing-Machines; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention` relates to feeding mechanismfor'sewing machines.

The object of the present invention is to produce a feeding mechanism of improvedconstruction suitable for usein high speed Asewing machines and particularly adapted for use in wax'thread sewing machines in which the work is fed by the awl or the needlealthough also capable of use in other types of sewing machines.

With this object in view the present invention consists in the constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of vwhich will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present application is a division of application Ser. No. 621,286,'iiled April-15, 1911, which fully illustrates and describes a wax thread lockstitch Sewing machine employing a straight awl and a straight hook needle. In the drawings accompanying the presentl application only so much of this sewing machine is illustrated as is necessary to enable the construction and mode of oper- 'lation of the work feeding mechanism to be understopd.

Referring to the drawings; Figure 1 is a view Vin fr'ont elevation ofthe machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the machine looking toward thel rear and showing particularly the mechanism for actuating the rock shaft of the feeding mechanism; Fig.

' 3 is 'a detail sectional Yplan View showing particularly the awl bar, theawl bar car-V f rier, and the manner in which. these parts are supported; Fig.' 4 is a detail sectional plan view illustrating particularly the `rock shaft of the feed mechanism and the connections therefromA to the4 awl bar carrler; Fig. '5 is a .detail sectionalplan view taken 'on the line 5 of Fig. Fig. 6 is a detailview Serial No. 27,078. L

formed by thethroat plate 1 which is pro# eol vided with the'usual slot through which thev needle and vawl operate.

The presser foot 2 which coperates withY the work support to position the work is of usual construction, and is secured to the* lower end-of apresser bar`3. During the greater part of the cycle of operations of the;r 7o

machine the presser foot is held against, the

work by the pressure of a comparatively y clamped between the presser foot and work support. During the feeding movement of the work, however, the presser foot is raised from the work so as to oder no resistance to the feeding movement. At the end of the feeding movement the presser foot is released and is againpressed against the workA by said spring so that 'it has an opportunity dicatedat 52. The awl is secured by means -of clamping screw 53 in a socket formed in the lower'end of a vertically reciprocating awl carrier or bar 54. The awl bar 54 is slidably mounted inabox or carrier 55 which is hung from the machineframe an is maintained in vertical alinement therewith by means of an arm 56 and twin lever armsv 57 and 58 which are parallel to the arm 56. The lever arms 57 and -58 are power oscillatedto impart a lateral'swinging movement to the-carrier 55 and the armA `56 actsas a link to coperate therewith in maintaining the alinelnent of the carrier. The arm 56projectsfrom a rockshaft 59 which is free to turn upon pivot pins 60 'and 61 mounted on thel machine frame and is heavy spring, So that the workis tightly pvotally connected at A62 to the upper end of vrthe carrier`55. Thetwin lever arms 57 pand Swhich nioigreithe `carrier 55 are formed .l -iintegrally ,witln a C.power oscillated rock shaft :63 and arc plvo'tally'conn'ected to the carrier by rmeansQf-journaled bearings upon thepivot pins 64 and 65.w-lnch,are'clamped inthe front anndjrar ends respectively of an fing about a" verticall axis. The .rock Ashaft 63 istmountjed at its froht and rear ends upon pivot pins 67 and' 68 respectii'ely,secured to the machine frame The rock. shaft 63' hasrigidlyclampedvupon it'near its rear Y end. adsl'eeve' 69: formed with radially ex.

j `tending twin arms 70. The ends of the. arms ...,702 arewjournaled upon projectlng pins 71,

v*bar 73 which oscillates the rock shaft 63. the

twoseparated beangs of the pins 7l serving to'ni'aintain fthe bar L73 from turning aboutfitslongitudinal axis. The bar 73 is actuated by-a cam roller 74 which vis carried l "'upon the upper end, of said bar and which runs 1n a cam path'cut mathe rear tace ot the cam wheely 75 mounted4v on the vvforward Thev yend 'of the maindriving shaft 29.

,1, timing-of l,this cam vpath is such that the '."ffeeding movement takesplace while the awlvv is in the` work. The bar73 is hung from' a 5 fixed-pivot l76-by meanslof a link T7 vwhich is pivotal-connection 78. bet-ween'the bar 73 pivotallysecured tothe bar 73 at 78. The

' and link '76','actsy as a swinging fulc'rum for thebar and ,1s constrained to swing 1n the A arcof a`c1rcle about the hxed pivot 76.

The. swinging fulcrum 7 8 allows the bar 7 3 to actinth'ecombined capacity of a lever and a link, the-pivotal connection 78 allowing the bar 73 t'ooscillateabout `it as a lever,`

swing of the pivotalfpoint78 about theffixed pivot 76. Theotherclonstraints on the bar V7 3 are-the engagement of the' cam roller 74 while 'the'link 77 allows the bar 7 3 to act as" a link Jin' transmitting the component of its movementin the direction yof the arc ot inthe cam wheelf75 which actuates said bar,

fy `landthe connection of the lower end of said v bar to' the rock arms 70 towhich it impartsv j @its motion 'to` actuate the awl feed. It will j "be evident that if the. position of :the fixedA lin the arc of movement of the swinging full pivot 7 6 lne-adjusted, vthe consequent `-change crumz78 will -'change the-resultant movement `1impartedtothe rock arms 70andrwill there- -1 'fore change .the length of 7thelatera'l feeding f mover-nent of the' awl.'l `Witlr; this object in fyiew the fixed pivot 7.6. isjcarried upon" the enirlot' an armifTf) .extendn'gradially from i spiral rib 86 to carry the arm 82 slowly ihe forwardend of apshaft 80 which is jourana-led` in a bracket 81:.1formedon the inside of the mnchinefraxnje'jndwhich is arranged which -are clamped in a sleeve 72 formed on 'thellqwer end yof aV can actuated'swmgmg' raised position of the bar 73 and it is evi-v dent, since the swinging fulcrum 78 and shaft 80 are-co-aXial, that the turning of the shaft 80 to adjust the position ofthe point 76 will `not affect this position of the awl.

lVhen, howei'enthe bar 73 ismoved ldownf wardly by the action of its -driving'caim the swinging fulcrum 78 is swung from lits coaxial'position with respect to 'thefshatt 80 and the amount of turning which it imparts to the rock` arms 7 0 at the downward limit of its 'movement will depend upon the posi,- -tion of the fixed pivot 76. The'position of .the awl at 'the 'beginningfof its feed stroke rcorresponds to the downward position of the bar-'73 and consequently this position of the awl will be varied by the manual adjustment of the positionvof the vpivot 76. The awl will thus alwaysv be broughtto the same position at the completion -of its feeding 'movement when it is withdrawn from the work vforthe entry of the needle into the awl'l1ole, but the awl will have its position fwhen it enters'the work at the beginning of' its feeding movementvaried laterally to produce the desired length of feed.

The shaft 80 is arranged to be manually turnedto adjust the positionof the pivot 76 by means of an arm 82 secured tothe rear end vof said shaft and extending outwardly through'an'aperture `88 in the sideof the machine frame. The end of the. arm 82 is cylindrical in crosssection, and is forwardly offset from andsomewhat inclined lto th'e main portion of said arm. This inclined 'end portion of the armi82 is provided With ja longitudinally extending recess 84 for the reception of a cylindrical plunger 85. The

4faceV of the'projecting end l.of this plunger is formed with a spiral rib 86to engage a fixed .segmental toothed plate'87 to hold thearm j82 in an adjusted relation thereto.

plunger 85 Iis normally held against vthe toothed plate-87 by means of a helical com- '.,fpression spring!` 88,. and is adapted to be eitherlretracted against the springer to be rotated by means of a knurled` cap 89 which is secured to theprojecting end of the re- -duced plunger shaft or pin 90. A ,coarse adjustment of the awl feed is had by retractingV the'plunger 85 and'turning the arm 82 with relation to the toothed plate 87, and a fine or micrometer adjustment is had by rotating the plunger 85 whichwill cause the along the toothed plate 87.

'The' while permitting it to move laterally to feed the work, comprises a link 91, the lower end of which is pivotallv secured at 92 to the vslidablv mounted awl bar il and the upper end ofwhich is pivotallv secured at 93 to the end of an arm 9i projecting radiallv from the forward end of an oscillating vsis rock shaft 95 j ournaled lin the machine frame. The rock shaft 95 is oscillated bv means of a reciprocating link 96. one end of which is pivotallv secured at 9T to an arm 98 projecting radially from the rear end of said rock shaft. The otherend of the link 96 is journaled upon a crank pin 99 carried upon the front face of the cam wheel which is mounted upon and continuously rotated bv the main driving shaft 29. The rock shaft 95 and its two arms 9i and 9S act as an intermediate p ivoted lever between the awl bar andthe continuouslv rotating crank. the arms 5H and 9S being the power' deliverin;Tv and receiving arms .respectively and the axis of the rock shaft 95 being the fulcrum. 'hen the awi is at the lower or forward limit of its stroke the connecting point 93 is carried somewhat to the right of the position which it occupies as a dead center when the points 9'2 and 93 and the axis of the rock shaft D5 are in alinement. The movement of the point 93 to the right beyond its position as a dead center imparts a slight retractive` movement or idle backward and forward movement to thevawl atfthe limit of vits downward or forward stroke. .This

slight retractive movement of the awl tends' to lift the work slightlyY from the work support .so that the awl mav more easily carry the wi; it to the left during its feeding movenieiit which takes place after the awl has penetrated the work. The awl is moved comparatively rapidlv7 as it passes through the work. so that as little time as possible is consumed b v the awl in puncturing and withdrawing from the work, and the awl bar carrier is long enough to permit the back stroke of the awl to be lengthened to consume approximatelv 2200 of a revolution of the driving shaft between the time that the awl leaves and enters the work.

The invention having thus been described, what. is claimed is l. Aksewing machine, having in combination, 'stitch forming devices. a work feeding device.v mechanism for imparting feed and return movements to said device comprising a longitudinallv moving and oscillating bar.v connections between said bar and the feeding device for directly transmitting the ,longitudinal and oscillating movementsof thc bar to the device. a supporting link hung from a fixed pivot at. one end and pivotallv connected at the other end to said bar to form a swinging fulcrum therefor, power driven means connected to and adapted to move said bar to turn it about its swinging fulcrum and to turn said link about-its fixed pivot, and means for adjusting the position of the fixed pivot of the supporting link to varv the amount of movement imiarted bv turn said bar as a Alever about its swinging fulcrum and to thrust said bar as a link in the direction of movement of the swinging fulcrum about the fixed pivot, and means foradjust-ing the position of the fixed pivot to vary the path of movement of the swingingfulcrum wherebv the .amount of movement imparted to thefeed device ma7 be varied.

3. A sewing machine, having in combination, stitch forming devices, a work feeding device, mechanism for imparting feed and return movements to said device comprising a, longitudinally moving'and oscillating bar, connections between -said bar and the feeding device for directly transmitting the longitudinal and oscillating movements of the bar to the device, a supporting link having one end connected to said bar to form a swinging fulcrum therefor, an arm pivot-- ally mounted on the machine frame to which the other end of saidv link is connected, power driven means for moving said bar to actuate the feeding device, said means being arranged to move the swinging fulcrum of the bar into a position co-axialgwith the pivotal mounting of said arm at one eX- tremity of the movement of the bar; and means for adjusting said arm in its pivotal mounting. 1

4. A sewing machine, having in combination, stitch forming devices, a work feeding device, mechanism for imparting feed and return movements to said feeding device comf i power driven means for moving the bar t0 actuate the feeding device, said means being arranged to move the bar so that its swinging fulcrum is co-axial with. the pivotal izo v the bar to the device, power driven meansmounting ofthe arm at the completion ofv the work feeding movement, and means for adjusting said arm in its pivotal mounting whereby the arc of movement of the swinging fulcrum may be varied to vary the amount of movement imparted to the work feeding device.

5. A seiving machine, having in combination, stitch forming devices, a Work feeding device,mechanism for' imparting feedland return movements to said feeding device comprising a longitudinally moving and oscillating bar, connections between the bar and feeding device for directly transmitting the longitudinal and oscillating movements of for moving the bar to actuate the feeding device, a supportinglink, one end of which is connected t'o said bar and forms a swingingfulcrum therefor', a shaft journaled in j the machine frame, an arincarried by-said shaft from the free end of which the supporting link is hung, a second arm carried by said shaft, manually operable means carrled upon the free end of the said second arm to turn the arm and lock itin adjusted position whereby the free end of the first armfrom which rthe link is hung may be adjusted in position to varyl the amount of movement* of the feeding device. Y

v6; QA sewingjmachinahaving in combination, y'stitch forming devices, a Work feeding device, power drivenmechanism connected tox and' imparting feed and return movementsto said devlce, and; means for making a gross and a fine adjustment of said power ldriven mechanism tov vary the amount of .a device for making a finepfadjustment of said manually adjustable dvice in any of' its adjusted positions.

. 7.' A sewing machine, having in combination, stitch forming devices, a Work feeding device, power driven mechanism connected to and imparting feed and` return movements to said feeding device, and manually adjustable means-for varying the amount of movement imparted to the .feeding device comprising a fixed toothed plate, a member' movable relatively thereto, and a rotatable 'Worm mounted in said member and meshing with Y said toothed plate.

8. A sewing machine, having in combination, stitch forming devices, a Work feeding device, power driven mechanism connected toand imparting feed and return movements'to said feeding 'device,'manually adjustable'means'for varying the amount of 'movement imparted tothe feeding device movement of the Workfeeding4 device, said dopiel of thisv patent may be obtained for for Withdrawin comprising a fixed toothed plate, a member movable relatively thereto, a plunger' rotatably and slidably carriedin-said member and having a Worm to engage with the' toothed plate an moving said member relatively' thereto to provide a gross adjustment and for turning said plunger to cause the Worm to slowly move said member relatively to the toothed plate to provide-'a micrometer Y dve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. C.

the plunger'- from the. 

